Max Lucado THE IMAGE OF FORGIVENESS - December 27, 2022
You will never forgive anyone more than God has already forgiven you.
Is it still hard to consider the thought of forgiving the one who hurt you? If so, go one more time to the room. Watch Jesus as he goes from disciple to disciple. Can you see him? Can you hear the water splash? Can you hear him shuffle on the floor to the next person? Keep that image.
John 13:12 says, “When he had finished washing their feet…” Please note: he finished washing their feet. That means he left no one out. Why is that important? Because that means he washed the feet of Judas. Jesus washed the feet of his betrayer. That’s not to say it was easy for Jesus. And that’s not to say it’s easy for you. That is to say God will never call you to do what he hasn’t already done.
Proverbs 18
Words Kill, Words Give Life
Loners who care only for themselves
spit on the common good.
2
Fools care nothing for thoughtful discourse;
all they do is run off at the mouth.
3
When wickedness arrives, shame’s not far behind;
contempt for life is contemptible.
4
Many words rush along like rivers in flood,
but deep wisdom flows up from artesian springs.
5
It’s not right to go easy on the guilty,
or come down hard on the innocent.
6
The words of a fool start fights;
do him a favor and gag him.
7
Fools are undone by their big mouths;
their souls are crushed by their words.
8
Listening to gossip is like eating cheap candy;
do you really want junk like that in your belly?
9
Slack habits and sloppy work
are as bad as vandalism.
10
God’s name is a place of protection—
good people can run there and be safe.
11
The rich think their wealth protects them;
they imagine themselves safe behind it.
12
Pride first, then the crash,
but humility is precursor to honor.
13
Answering before listening
is both stupid and rude.
14
A healthy spirit conquers adversity,
but what can you do when the spirit is crushed?
15
Wise men and women are always learning,
always listening for fresh insights.
16
A gift gets attention;
it buys the attention of eminent people.
17
The first speech in a court case is always convincing—
until the cross-examination starts!
18
You may have to draw straws
when faced with a tough decision.
19
Do a favor and win a friend forever;
nothing can untie that bond.
20
Words satisfy the mind as much as fruit does the stomach;
good talk is as gratifying as a good harvest.
21
Words kill, words give life;
they’re either poison or fruit—you choose.
22
Find a good spouse, you find a good life—
and even more: the favor of God!
23
The poor speak in soft supplications;
the rich bark out answers.
24
Friends come and friends go,
but a true friend sticks by you like family.
Our Daily Bread Devotional
Today's Scripture:
Genesis 1:1, 27–31
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
od created human beings;
he created them godlike,
Reflecting God’s nature.
He created them male and female.
God blessed them:
“Prosper! Reproduce! Fill Earth! Take charge!
Be responsible for fish in the sea and birds in the air,
for every living thing that moves on the face of Earth.”
29–30 Then God said, “I’ve given you
every sort of seed-bearing plant on Earth
And every kind of fruit-bearing tree,
given them to you for food.
To all animals and all birds,
everything that moves and breathes,
I give whatever grows out of the ground for food.”
And there it was.
31 God looked over everything he had made;
it was so good, so very good!
It was evening, it was morning—
Day Six.
Insight
Genesis 1:27–31 describes the culmination of the creative work of God in the formation of beings who shared the imago Dei (the image of God), creatures who would be capable of exercising rule over and stewarding His marvelous handiwork. “So God created mankind in his own image” (v. 27). The word mankind translates the Hebrew word ’adam. While the word has been rendered “man,” it speaks of humankind and includes male and female. The Hebrew word for “male” is zakhar (for humans and animals) and the word for female is neqevah (also for humans and animals). Both man and woman share the likeness of God; both are equal in their humanity yet unique in their being. God created male and female to fulfill His creation mandate to be fruitful and increase (v. 28).
Learn more about God’s design for humanity.
By: Arthur Jackson
Beating as One
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
Genesis 1:1
Stories have captivated humans since the dawn of creation—functioning as a way to pass down knowledge long before written language existed. We’ve all known the delight of hearing or reading a story and being immediately engaged by such opening lines as “Once upon a time.” The power of a story appears to extend beyond merely enjoyment: when we listen to a story together, our heartbeats seem to synchronize! Though our individual heartbeats vary over the course of a day, and might only match another’s coincidentally, new research indicates our hearts may all fall into the same rhythm when we hear the same story at the same time.
God begins telling us His story with the words, “In the beginning” (Genesis 1:1). From the moment Adam and Eve first drew breath (v. 27), God has used that unfolding story to shape not just our individual lives but also—and perhaps more importantly—our collective lives as His children. Through the Bible—the most magnificent nonfiction story ever recorded—our hearts as believers in Jesus are joined together as people set apart for His purposes (1 Peter 2:9).
In response, may our hearts beat in shared rhythm, delighted by the Author’s creative works. And may we share His story with others, declaring “his glory among the nations, his marvelous deeds among all peoples” (Psalm 96:3), inviting them to become part of it too.
By: Kirsten Holmberg
Reflect & Pray
What part of the story of the Bible most captivates you? With whom can you share it?
Thank You, Father, for showing me who You are through the Bible and making me one of Your own.
My Utmosts for His Highest by Oswald Chambers
Where the Battle is Won or Lost
"If you will return, O Israel," says the Lord… —Jeremiah 4:1
Our battles are first won or lost in the secret places of our will in God’s presence, never in full view of the world. The Spirit of God seizes me and I am compelled to get alone with God and fight the battle before Him. Until I do this, I will lose every time. The battle may take one minute or one year, but that will depend on me, not God. However long it takes, I must wrestle with it alone before God, and I must resolve to go through the hell of renunciation or rejection before Him. Nothing has any power over someone who has fought the battle before God and won there.
I should never say, “I will wait until I get into difficult circumstances and then I’ll put God to the test.” Trying to do that will not work. I must first get the issue settled between God and myself in the secret places of my soul, where no one else can interfere. Then I can go ahead, knowing with certainty that the battle is won. Lose it there, and calamity, disaster, and defeat before the world are as sure as the laws of God. The reason the battle is lost is that I fight it first in the external world. Get alone with God, do battle before Him, and settle the matter once and for all.
In dealing with other people, our stance should always be to drive them toward making a decision of their will. That is how surrendering to God begins. Not often, but every once in a while, God brings us to a major turning point— a great crossroads in our life. From that point we either go toward a more and more slow, lazy, and useless Christian life, or we become more and more on fire, giving our utmost for His highest— our best for His glory.
WISDOM FROM OSWALD CHAMBERS
The place for the comforter is not that of one who preaches, but of the comrade who says nothing, but prays to God about the matter. The biggest thing you can do for those who are suffering is not to talk platitudes, not to ask questions, but to get into contact with God, and the “greater works” will be done by prayer (see John 14:12–13). Baffled to Fight Better, 56 R
Bible in a Year: Zechariah 1-4; Revelation 18
A Word With You
By Ron Hutchcraft
WALKING THAT FINAL MILE - #9382
A while back I got to explore the world my wife grew up in. And I've been going to a lot of beautiful back roads. One of those was this road that she walked every morning to the school bus. She was only five, and it's about two miles from where she lived to the main road. Fortunately, she was not the kind who bored her kids with, "When I was your age" stories. But boy this would have made a good one. That was a long, sometimes scary walk for a little girl alone. I can almost picture it when we were driving there.
As we drove, my wife said, "Now, Mom stood by the road there and watched me until I got to this point. And then when Mom couldn't see me, I was within sight of my grandparents' place." Then she told me how she passed from one security zone to the next until that last stretch. And there it was...just woods. And she was out of sight of any of those "watched me" people. That was the scary part. There was no one. Well, not exactly no one.
I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Walking That Final Mile."
Our word for today from the Word of God comes from Psalm 23:4. You'll recognize the earlier verses where they talk about the Lord being our Shepherd and He makes us lie down in green pastures. He leads us by quiet waters and then He guides us in paths of righteousness. Verse 4, "Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death I will fear no evil, for You are with me. Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me."
Well, here's your life's journey; stretches of green pastures, quiet waters, some righteous paths, and the valley of the shadow. Maybe you're there right now, or you're about to head into one of those valleys. It doesn't have to be death. It can just be a dark time; a time when you are or when you feel very alone like a little girl walking beyond all the people who could protect her or who could help her.
When I asked my wife what she did when she hit that lonely stretch of her walk, she said, "I sang the only songs I knew - Jesus songs." Sounds like what the psalmist wrote, "I will fear no evil for You are with me." When no one else can be with me, You are with me. In fact, that's what Jesus promised in Hebrews 13:5, "I will never leave you or forsake you." And He said in Matthew 28:20, "I am with you always." That dark, lonely part of your walk I call the Jesus stretch. It may feel like it's a time when you're abandoned, but it is the time when you can experience Jesus as you've never experienced Him before.
I have a doctor friend who I talked to recently, and he's been through this painful year. You know, his very vibrant son-in-law had a battle with cancer and then his son-in-law died. He himself had a painful injury. He's gone through some major personal changes. I said, "Boy, I'll bet you'll be glad to see a new year." He said, "Yeah, but it was a great year too, last year for my family and the Lord."
Often it happens that way doesn't it? The Bible says, "He's a very present help in time of trouble." See, you never really know the Lord until you really need the Lord. And you never need Him more than those seasons when no one else can help; it's too dark to see; when all of your usual points of reference are gone. And if you collapse into His arms and let Him love you, you will touch Jesus as you've never touched Him before.
In this dark stretch, and ahead...the darkest stretch of all - the last stretch - before the end of your life, you need the one person who will be with you through every season, every stretch of the road. That Jesus will walk with you. But first, you've got to begin a relationship with Him. That happens when your sins are forgiven. And only He can do that, because only He died for them.
At the moment when you reach out and say, "Jesus, I want to take that forgiveness. I want to take that eternal life You died to give me." You have the wall between you and God come down and He is by your side, walking with you through every step of the rest of your life and right into eternity.
Our website is for that purpose. I invite you there. It's ANewStory.com.
You'll never know Jesus is all you need until Jesus is all you've got. And you might be there right now. This is supposed to be the Jesus stretch. It's that part of the road where Jesus is the only one who can walk with you. And strangely, it is the safest stretch of all.